Marla rolled a basketball into a soccer ball. The blue arrow represents the speed of the basketball as it rolled toward the soccer ball. After the collision, how did the speed of the two balls change? Note that the size of the arrow indicates the speed of the ball.

Question

(1 point)
Responses

After the collision, the basketball stops. The soccer ball moves forward with greater speed.

After the collision, both balls move in the same forward direction. The basketball has a greater speed after the collision than the soccer ball.

After the collision, the basketball moves backward and the soccer ball moves forward. The basketball has less speed than the soccer ball.

After the collision, both balls move in the same forward direction. The basketball has less speed than the soccer ball.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

In a collision between two balls like a basketball and a soccer ball, the outcomes depend on their masses and the initial speeds.

The basketball is typically heavier than a soccer ball. When Marla rolls the basketball toward the soccer ball, the basketball's higher mass means it will transfer some of its momentum to the soccer ball upon collision.

Considering this:

If the basketball comes to a stop after colliding with the soccer ball, then the soccer ball will move forward. However, while it will be moving forward, it is unlikely that it will achieve a greater speed than the initial speed of the basketball because of conservation of momentum.
If both balls move forward post-collision, it's consistent with the momentum transfer. Since the basketball has greater mass, it would likely have less speed after the collision compared to before.

Taking all this into consideration, the most fitting response is:

After the collision, both balls move in the same forward direction. The basketball has less speed than the soccer ball.